Team Kavanaugh wants the nominee to push back hard this week, though they are advocating restraint with reactions to Sen. Jeff Flake’s (R-AZ) last minute call for an FBI investigation, lest he make another critical decision based on his heart.
According to a Sunday Politico report, Kavanaugh’s advisers — including Bill Burck, former counsel to President George W. Bush, and Leonard Leo, executive vice president of the Federalist Society — want him to come out swinging while the FBI completes its investigation.
“Seven days is an eternity,” a Kavanaugh ally told Politico. “No good things can happen to Kavanaugh in that time except for calling the vote.”
On the other hand, strategists have reportedly urged a light tread around Flake despite the frustration his sudden about-face caused on Friday.
Assuming that all the Democrats vote as a bloc, only two Republicans would have to cross the aisle to sink the confirmation, giving moderates like Sens. Flake, Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Susan Collins (R-ME) outsize influence.
